Dry Farming - Truth or Hype?
0I recently heard about the reported benefits of dry farming: little/no sugar (and therefore fewer calories); organic and biodynamic farming techniques are better for the environment; natural yeast; no artificial additives; and lower sulfites. Just curious what my fellow Casemates think, and how much (if at all) it factors into the selections offered and purchasers’ decisions.
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None of the things you describe relate to dry farming. “Dry farming” just means farming without irrigation.
Some say, not necessarily with any proof, that dry farming yields more complex and interesting grapes because the vines need to struggle to get the roots deep enough to get to more groundwater. Irrigation is said to allow the roots to remain closer to the surface, which can (some say) make them more susceptible to pests and such.
@klezman and the funny thing is, irrigating grapes without promoting mold is hard! So assuming you have well established rootstock (no small assumption) dry farming could require less effort.
@KitMarlot My backyard table grapes get mouldy pretty easily, and have done so every year. The wine grapes didn’t burst any buds this year - I probably over-pruned it this winter. Grumble.
Biodynamic grapes are lean and clean!
@losthighwayz by what metric?
When visiting my sister in Paso Robles about 5 years ago, one of the local wineries we visited was Chateau Margene – we had met up at Cass earlier with the (then) Cass distributor for the Chicago area, and he said he really enjoyed Chateau Margene, so we decided to check it out. The wines were very good (but pricey, and not widely distributed). It was a slow time, so we were the only ones visiting and sat on their deck for the tasting. The owner happened along and we had a very interesting conversation with him. He mentioned that they dry farm (there was an extreme drought going on in Paso at the time – you couldn’t even get a permit for a new well). He made reference to what happened when J. Lohr up the way turned on their irrigation (a noticeable drop in the water table). So for some it could even be a choice of conservation to avoid irrigation.